Obesity is a major contributor to the metabolic syndrome. The mechanisms by which excess adiposity[unreadable] may promote the development of vascular disease remain obscure. Understanding how well-defined[unreadable] alterations in body weight affect inflammation, insulin resistance, and vascular structure and function will[unreadable] provide new insight into the complex pathophysiology of an extremely common disorder. Our proposed[unreadable] SCCOR will utilize a unique Core dedicated to implementing standardized weight loss protocols in obese[unreadable] people with the metabolic syndrome in order to facilitate discovery research in these patients.[unreadable] The Clinical Science Service Core (CSSC, Core Unit A) will help SCCOR investigators:[unreadable] 1) recruit subjects for the research studies that involve human volunteers (Projects 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6),[unreadable] 2) provide effective weight loss therapy for subjects participating in protocols that require subjects to lose[unreadable] weight (Projects 3, 4, 5, and 6), and[unreadable] 3) obtain appropriate blood and tissue samples for basic science investigators conducting studies in human[unreadable] subjects.[unreadable] The CSSC will be comprised of a Weight Management Unit (WMU), a Subject Recruitment Unit (SRU),[unreadable] and Sample Acquisition Unit (SAU), supervised by the same staff to ensure smooth interaction among the[unreadable] units and reduce overall administrative costs. The WMU will use a multidisciplinary approach to achieve[unreadable] weight loss in study subjects. It is estimated that a total of 65 subjects will be enrolled in weight loss therapy[unreadable] for Projects 3, 5, and 6 and that an additional 40 subjects will enroll in weight loss therapy for Project 4. The[unreadable] SRU will assist investigators in identifying and recruiting appropriate study subjects for Projects 1, 3, 4, 5,[unreadable] and 6, and will maintain a computerized database of research volunteers. The SAU will obtain blood and[unreadable] muscle tissue samples from obese subjects before and after weight loss for Projects 3, 4, and 5.[unreadable] This Core has the potential to transform the care of people with the metabolic syndrome by establishing[unreadable] a framework for linking basic research discoveries in vascular disease to potentially beneficial effects of[unreadable] weight loss in humans.[unreadable]